Marooned With A Hare
by SecondStarRight
Summary: Two separate revenge plans go terribly wrong, and a pirate ferret ends up marooned on an island with a hare who has a bad case of memory loss... at least, that's what she says.
1. Chapter 1

Marooned With a Hare

_Aboard the Merciless…_

A storm was coming, that much Captain Duris Swordfur knew. What sort of captain would he be if he couldn't tell that? The clouds above his ship twisted and shifted, thunder rumbling ominously, the wind picking up, carrying with it the smell of a powerful storm brewing. Duris' fang's glimmered as he smiled; they were filed to a point and carefully polished every day. Yes. Oh, _yes_. This was perfect. He would finally be able to prove to his crew, and to himself, that he had what it took to captain this ship. Ever since the previous captain, a huge wildcat of considerable reputation among the pirates, had been thrown overboard… _accidently_ in a previous storm, Duris, the first mate, had taken over; but filling a spot where such huge paws had been before was not such an easy task. Many of the crew were skeptical as to how a mere _ferret_ would be able to captain the _Merciless_. It was, after all, one of the most feared pirate ships ever to sail the high seas. They couldn't afford to have some pansy as a captain.

Duris had been preparing for this moment ever since he'd pushed the Captain overboard; a storm to prove he had what it took to be a captain. His teeth were polished and sharpened, his dark gray and black fur brushed to a shine, his favorite blood red coat hung elegantly off of his thin shoulders, making them look more muscular than usual. His good sword, a scimitar, hung on his belt, and his whiskers had been straightened and then curled just slightly at the very tips. He had looked in the mirror earlier and had thought so himself: all in all, he looked quite striking. He looked like a capable captain, one who could be admired, feared, depended on, but _definitely_ _not _trusted, all at the same time. And once he got through this storm, the crew would have more than just his impeccable appearance to be able to tell that.

Yes, yes. Everything was perfect. Duris had been born for this. To captain the _Merciless_ was his destiny, and once he gained his crews' undying loyalty… Duris' eyes, as bottomless and cold as the waters the _Merciless _now sailed over, narrowed.

His revenge would be swift and, well, absolutely merciless.

_Aboard the Cheerful Wave Hopper…_

Just a little too far away for Duris Swordfur's sharp eyes to spot, another equally reputable ship (but for completely different reasons) sliced through the darkening waves heading towards where the captain knew in his heart the _Merciless _to be. The _Cheerful Wave Hopper_, a notorious pirate hunting vessel, known to her raucous crew as Lady CWH, was eerily silent, considering that it was just about nearing suppertime. The crew of Lady CWH considered meals to be sacred moments; joyful holidays which punctuated their hard, but still cheerful, existence.

That was because the vast majority of the crew were hares. And hares never miss a meal if they can help it.

If that's the case, then where was all the crew? The galley and the crew's quarters below decks were empty and silent; not even a soup pot or two set on the stove in the galley or a single lazily swinging hammock occupied by a sleepy hare below decks.

That's because they were preparing for battle. And not just any battle, a battle between too evenly matched ships and crews, one that would be drawn out and bloody.

_On the fore deck of Lady CWH…_

"Yor still set on goin' through with it then, eh, Captain?" Malby, the cook, asks fingering his apron nervously. The hare standing beside Malby is still young and strong, but old in spirit. He stands unnaturally still for a hare, gazing out to sea.

Captain Rorik nods, lifting his old spyglass up to his good left eye (blinded in a battle with a certain wildcat three years ago), squinting into it, hoping to see a speck on the horizon that will mean he's finally found the _Merciless_ after all these years.

"You can't stop me! …..I'm sorry, Malby, old chap, for dragging you and the crew into this, but I just… I need to do this. That wild cat, he murdered my sister in cold blood. Marooned Satinspar, without food or water, or a way of getting home, and then forgot about the blasted island. I'm going to capture him alive, sink his ship, and then maroon _him_ on an island, and see how he feels about it!" A grim smile lights up his face.

"I wasn't goin' to stop you! I was just goin' to say, me and the crew, we're with you! And, I'd say by how fast she's goin', Lady CWH is too, wot!"

"Malby," Captain Rorik rested one weary paw on his old friend's shoulder, "Thank you,"

The two ships, one merciless and the other cheerful, rushed towards each other, while the sky raged above, both vessels doomed for watery deaths.

_Aboard the Merciless..._

No.

It could not be.

It just wasn't possible.

Duris Swordfur clutched the spyglass so hard he left claw marks on it.

"What," He growled, "Is _that_?"

"Uh, sir, it's, a, uh, a ship, sir," The terrified lookout rat next to him stuttered, backing away.

"AGH! I can see that, you worm brained fool!" Everything had been going perfectly up until this point. It had started to drizzle; and most of the crew were on deck, preparing for the storm. Duris had been strutting around, checking things over, ordering the crew about, and making sure they knew who was boss, making sure that they knew he had everything under control even though a nasty storm was growing above their furry heads.

And then that blasted _ship_ had appeared, coming towards them, at full speed, with the wind at their backs. Whoever they were, they'd reach the _Merciless _exactly as the storm hit full force.

All that Duris had asked for was a nice storm to solidify his leadership aboard the _Merciless_ so he could go after those blasted hares who'd murdered his beloved little sister _in cold blood_ just because she was a ferret, and supposedly 'evil'.

Well, maybe she was a bit of a thief and a liar, but Snow had been the closest thing Duris had ever had to a creature he would've died for, a creature he _loved_. And those hares had taken her away from him. That was the real reason he had joined the crew of the _Merciless _to begin with. The hares were on a ship, a ship called the _Cheerful Wave Hopper_, and they hardly ever came on land. He'd heard that they occasionally stayed a few days at Salamandastron, but there was no chance of taking that place. No, the only way to catch the _Cheerful Wave Hopper _was to be on a ship. That was the reason that he had fought his way up through the ranks on the _Merciless_ to become first mate. That was the reason he had killed for the first time, when he pushed the old captain over board and took control. That was the reason he needed this storm to go perfectly right now.

"Cap'n…?" The lookout rat asked again, and Duris realized he'd been saying that for the last five minutes. Enough reminiscing about Snow, concentrate. He twisted the rose quartz necklace that hung around his neck thoughtfully-

"That ship's going to reach us no matter what we do, and we need some more grog anyways. We're going to take that it! Get ready to board!" Duris raised his voice so that the crew around him could hear. They cheered. Grog always excited them.

And, plus, taking a ship and riding out a wild storm on the same night would be even better for Duris' reputation among the crew.

Yes, things were looking up again.

**_(To maybe be continued...)_**


	2. Chapter 2

_Aboard the Cheerful Wave Hopper…_

"Prepare to board!" Captain Rorik bellowed over the howling wind and crackling thunder. A flash of lightning revealed the organized chaos taking place on the ship; hares (and a squirrel or two) dashing madly about, trying not to be blown overboard and making sure they all had their weapons ready at the same time. Rain and wind combined into a million tiny daggers, seeming to cut through fur and into flesh, soaking all in its path. Captain Rorik would never admit it, but this is one of the worst storms he's ever seen.

Raising an elegant paw to shield his eyes from the rain, he looks towards where the _Merciless, _too, is slowly but surely climbing wave after towering wave towards him.

_This is it_, He thinks, and for a moment, a feral grin lights up his face, making him look less hare like and more…

_Aboard the Merciless…_

Impossible.

That is the first word that comes to mind as Duris takes a break from ordering his crew around to stare in disbelief at the other ship fast approaching.

"Faster!" He screams, and it's almost not a word. He knows what this ship it is, now, the ship he's been looking for, the ship with the hare on it who _killed his sister_. It hurts just to think about her, about what happened, about the hare who killed her still walking free.

_"Captain Rorik,"_ Duris hisses the hated name through clenched teeth, his claws leaving new marks on the railing of the ship.

Revenge will be coming sooner than he thought. What a stroke of luck.

_Soon, Snow, _He thinks, a slow smile creeping across his face, ignoring the rain and wind which still bite into him…

_Aboard the Cheerful Wave Hopper…_

"Leave the wildcat to me!" Captain Rorik orders, though he doubts anyone heard him over the noise of the storm.

They all knew, anyways.

_Aboard the Merciless…_

"Leave the Captain to me," Duris hisses, though he doubts anyone heard him over the noise of the storm.

They're all too cowardly to go for the biggest, strongest looking hare, anyways.

The two ships inch closer through the storm, climbing wave after wave, and before both of the crews know it, they're side by side, the two crews leering at each other, and for a second time seems to freeze-

"YAAH!" Someone screams, but whether it's hare or vermin, no one can tell. Chaos breaks loose again; long boards drop between the two ships, a few arrows soar through the air- a few arrows find their marks.

Swords clash, almost overpowering the thunder, and Duris madly searches through the crowd, cutting down hare after hare, pushing his own crew out of the way- _where is Captain Rorik?- _Duris grows even more frantic. What if he's not there?

Captain Rorik patiently, but ruthlessly, brings his rapier down on the stoat standing before him, ducking to avoid a clumsily aimed club and kicking a random rat overboard. Where is the wildcat captain? A blow to the back of the head catches him off guard, and he trips, falling to his knees, for a moment too dazed to stand up- suddenly, a rat next to him hollers, not seeming to see Captain Rorik kneeling there amongst the chaos, "Cap'n! We need to retreat! We need to- ugh!"

A wiry ferret bares his fangs at the unfortunate rat, bringing the flat of his blade down across the rats back. "No! Not until I find that hare!" The ferret's eyes are glazed with bloodlust, and something else- something that Captain Rorik can't quite place- _sorrow_?

But… what? _That's_ the captain of the _Merciless?_ Captain Rorik is thoroughly confused and _so tired_ of this whole revenge business. He thought that the captain was a wildcat?

The ferret Captain looks up, annoyance clearly showing on his face. His dark eyes lock onto a hare a few yards away, fighting doggedly, bringing rat after rat down with multiple blows from his massive club. The hare is obviously not the captain, he's wearing an _apron_ for cryin' out loud, but Duris is annoyed, and just _so tired_ of this revenge business-

Idly, without a second thought, he flicks his wrist, letting go of the hilt of his scimitar at the same time and sending the great blade flying through the air towards the cook, Malby, who is oblivious to the danger, still waving his club everywhere.

Time slows as the sword flips through the air- Malby could've saved himself, ducked out of the way at the last moment, maybe only losing a few whiskers, but his attention was elsewhere, on the vermin crew which still clambered aboard Lady CWH. It seemed as if there was no end to their ranks.

Idly, without a second thought, Captain Rorik leaps into the blade's path, saving the cook, but probably killing himself.

Time speeds up again, and only Duris sees the powerful looking hare gasping for breath, hunched over the sword which is buried almost to the hilt in his stomach. Duris knows who it is; Captain Rorik, the one he's been searching for, for _three years_.

"_Finally_," Duris hisses, stalking forward, his revenge crazed eyes meeting the unnervingly steady and slightly confused eyes of the dying hare before him.

He's so close- almost able to touch the hare, to pull the sword out of him, to finally avenge Snow- when the unthinkable happens.

The flash of lightning is so bright and so strong that every creature aboard Lady CWH can feel the electricity, making their fur stand on end; and then- all can hear the terrible crack of the lightning hitting the mast and the groan as it falls.

Defiance flickers through the eyes of Captain Rorik; he _will not_ go down without a fight. Whoever this ferret is who's taken control of the _Merciless, _he is still a vermin, and that's Captain Rorik's job, that's what he lives for, and so, mustering the last glimmers of his strength from deep inside of him, Captain Rorik leans forward ever so slightly, and pushes the ferret backwards and into the path of the falling mast.

Duris has never felt anything like this; a sharp pain everywhere, spiking through him, bouncing around in the inside of his skull. He can't help the scream of agony that tears from his throat, stuck beneath the massive mast, before his vision flickers and goes dark.

A few moments later, he is awakened as one of his 'loyal' crew pulling him from beneath the mast, and he screams again. Every bone in Duris' body seems to be broken, crushed.

The last thing Duris sees as one of his crew drags him over to the side of the ship to toss him overboard, not unlike how Duris got rid of the wildcat captain, is Captain Rorik slumped over on his side, a smile on his unmoving face.

"Goodbye, Cap'n," The weasel dragging him leers, shoving his limp body over the side of the ship and into the thrashing waters below…

_Somewhere…_

His mother always told him if he was sleeping and walking through darkness, never to head towards the light, always away from it, because if you head towards the light and reach it, that means you're dead.

Duris always thought that being dead would be a pleasant feeling, sort of like floating away, a nice, long nap- then why does he suddenly feel heavier, and why does he hurt _everywhere_, and why is he so thirsty?

Duris' eyes open excruciatingly slowly, and he immediately snaps them closed again, blinded by the sun high in the sky. Squinting again, he struggles to move around or sit up, but the pain is too much. He can just barely manage to turn his head to the left a bit-

A beach, of glaringly white and hot sand stretches out as far as he can see with gentle turquoise waves lapping against it. The shore curves around to form a cove with tall, precarious cliffs where seagulls flock around.

"Hello? Anyone?" Duris' hoarse voice sounds harsh and loud on the beach, even though it's really quite small, and no one can possibly hear him. He sobs quietly. Marooned on some beach somewhere, not able to stand up or even barely move, mortally injured, he'd probably die of dehydration in a few days.

For the next few hours, Duris drifts in and out of consciousness, delirious, hallucinating, even though he doesn't know it. In his dreams he speaks to his mother, and to his father who left when he was just a babe. He even speaks to the wildcat captain who he killed and the weasel who pushed him overboard.

It was inevitable that she would appear sooner or later.

Walking towards him, the red-orange sun setting at her back, smiling, her warm pink eyes looking directly into his own, white fur shimmering like an oasis in the sun; Snow, his sister.

"Snow," He croaks, "I missed you," He gasps for breath, "I did it! I killed him! Rorik!"

"Erm," Snow looks confused.

"Snow?" Duris blinks and Snow is almost immediately replaced by a hare, who stares down at him, wary, but worried.

And with that, Duris, ex-captain of the dreaded pirate ship _Merciless_, faints clean away.


	3. Chapter 3

_On the Island somewhere…_

"Heeeeeeellllllooooooo!" A strange voice called out of the darkness, pulling Duris once again towards the light-

No! His mother told him not to go towards the light! No! NO!

Instead of blinding sunlight this time, it was the flickering and deceptive light of a fire against shadowy trees. The sun must have set long ago, Duris figured, because he could see the light of a full moon peeking through the branches of the trees high overhead in a starry sky. In the distance somewhere he could hear the ocean. The ferret's mind wasn't clouded by pain and dehydration anymore, instead he was just… confused.

Duris chuckled grimly to himself. He'd been confused from the moment one of his own crew had thrown him overboard. Duris now felt some sympathy towards the old wildcat captain. He half closed his eyes again, trying to remember how he'd gotten off of the beach and into the trees. There had been a hare, hadn't there? A speckled brown one, with deep eyes and those annoyingly _long_ ears. Duris snarled quietly. He hated hares. Didn't matter whether they killed vermin like him for a living or what; he _hated_ hares. They were just so… so darn _happy_ all the time it seemed. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you awake?" There was no mistaking that voice; it was a hare, definitely. Duris reached for his scimitar, for any weapon, so he could decapitate the nuisance already, but fell back, gasping in pain.

"Erm, yeah. Slowly does it there, friend. You have some nasty injuries. I looked 'em over, but I'm no doctor!"

What sort of fool _is_ this hare, Duris snarls to himself, his fangs showing. Any creature in their sane mind would have realized that he'd been trying to go for a weapon. Any creature with a sane mind would have pushed him right back into the ocean where he'd come from if they'd found him lying there on the beach.

If Duris had been the hare, he knows that he would've.

The hare keeps prattling on, oblivious to Duris' growing rage, her eyes sparkling, idly twirling the long strand of colorful shells around her neck.

"You've got a few broken bones, but the ones I'm most worried about is in your back." The hare shudders, as does Duris. A broken back? He knows that that's not good. He could be paralyzed, and it hurts like-

"Why are you torturing me like this?" He rasps, licking his lips, starting to get thirsty again. The hare blinks at him and then holds a huge shell up to his mouth.

_Poison,_ Duris tells himself, but he slurps at it anyway, and the liquid turns out to be the sweetest, coolest water he has ever tasted.

"Torturing you? Erm, I saved you. You would have died out there if I hadn't been on the beach looking for shells…" She trails off, "But, moving you from the beach may have damaged your back even more. I don't know. As I said, I'm no doctor."

Duris sighs, turning his head away from her. This annoying hare should be dead by now, if only he had his scimitar, if only he could move his left arm, his sword fighting paw, without it feeling like he was ripping his own arm off.

"You… _lie_. I must have been captured by those blasted _hares_," He spits the word, "And now you're going to torture me for information. I won't talk." Duris is lying. He knows that he wasn't captured by the hares; he remembers all too clearly one of his crew tossing him overboard like… like _trash_. He's also lying because he knows that he'd talk if he was being tortured, especially if it was going to save his own skin.

"Hares? What do you mean?"

"Hares. Like you. Long ears. Long legs. Irritating voices."

"There are…" The hare swallows hard, blinking again, "Erm, _others_, like me, I mean?"

"_Yes_. There are. You spring up everywhere like cockroaches, and- wait." Duris takes a closer look at the hare. "What do you mean _others_ like you? You don't know that there are other hares out there?" Duris desperately tries to keep the irritation and scorn out of his voice, the incredulity that this hare has no clue that there are other hares out there. Back before he joined the _Merciless'_ crew, he knew this old fox. The fox was the kindest creature Duris had ever known- he'd even been inside Redwall Abbey three times and lived to tell the tale- but he had no memory. He'd lost it in a battle, fighting for some warlord or another. Doesn't really matter which one, there are so many these days, but Duris knew one thing; that old fox had hated being made fun of for things he had no clue about, so creatures with at least a glimmer of decency in them had treated the fox as if he were the wisest sage ever to walk through Mossflower.

Maybe that was the way to treat this hare for now, Duris mused.

"Erm," The hare looks away, embarrassed, "I woke up one day. On the beach on this island. The only thing I knew… a name. My name, I suppose. _Satinspar_." The hare, Satinspar, whispers it like it's sacred, a secret she was entrusting to Duris. The name sounds familiar to him, somehow. He isn't sure why.

It's from… he heard it, back on the _Merciless_. The name was mentioned every once and awhile, when something went wrong. The crew used to say that 'the spirit of Satinspar was haunting them'. She must have been one of the many creatures that the wildcat captain had thrown overboard. Duris had forgotten about it until now, probably because he'd always set himself apart from the rest of the crew. His mission there had not been about grog or loot or killing; it had been about avenging Snow.

Now he'd finally avenged her. He smiles just thinking about Captain Rorik dead-

"So…. What's your name? How'd you get here?" Satinspar asks, slowly picking up one of his limp paws and pulling a long splinter, probably from the mast, out of it. Duris flinches, and then snarls at her, reacting out of habit.

"Get away from me! Do I look like I need the help of some pathetic hare?"

Satinspar flinches, and immediately backs away.

"I was just-"

"Trying to help? Don't kid yourself," Duris smiles, eyes sparkling with malice and pure hate. But deep down, somewhere in his… _heart?_... he feels sorry-

But that part of him, his _heart,_ died with Snow when Captain Rorik killed her.

Satinspar blinks, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her ears droop slightly and she falls back to the other side of the fire.

"Fine. But you're stuck here, whether you like it or not just like I am. You can't walk, you probably never will again, and I can't just leave you helpless. Who knows what would find you? You're just going to have to live with me." Something about this hare reminds him of Snow, just the slightest. She's stubborn, and reasonable. Kind too. Though she'd probably never steal from anybody even to save her own life. The hare has a sense of honor and dignity about her, sort of like the aura that surrounded Captain Rorik.

Duris looks away from Satinspar, who sits leaning against a log, staring into the flames, and up into the sky where through the trees he can just barely see the stars. He knows that Satinspar is right. He's stuck on this island. No one will ever find him. And, anyway, he killed Captain Rorik. He did what he set out to do in the first place. He deserves a vacation on a nice, tropical island, doesn't he? With a sigh, he clears his throat, and in the silence that follows you could've heard a pin drop on the floor.

"Duris. Duris Swordfur. That's my name."

He can almost _feel_ Satinspar's smile; stretching across the fire and wrapping around him like a warm blanket and maybe a hot cup of cordial. It's a nice feeling, he realizes.


	4. Chapter 4

_Lightning flashes in the sky above him, rain soaking through red jacket, the ship tossing and turning under his feet. Hare and vermin alike fight and die, none seeing Duris standing there. Duris doesn't know why he's back here, back to his ship on the night of his battle with the _Cheerful Wave Hopper. _He knows he's dreaming, but doesn't know why his subconscious has brought him back to this moment. There's wasn't anything particularly traumatic about it… all he'd done was avenge the death of his sister, get crushed under a mast and have his back broken, and then gotten tossed overboard by one of his own crew. _

_ No, nothing traumatic at all. _

_ Captain Rorik leaps past him, swinging a rapier, a determined look on his face. Weasels, ferrets, foxes, and countless rats fall to his sword. _

_ Duris growled under his breath, forgetting for a moment that he'd already killed Captain Rorik. He drew his scimitar which just happened to be at his side, stalking forward, ready to finish this once and for all- and not on accident like it had happened the last time he'd killed Captain Rorik. _

_ "Rorik!" Duris howled, swinging his scimitar idly, blinking rain out of his eyes. Captain Rorik didn't turn, didn't even pause, and probably couldn't hear him over the thunder and screams of the wounded and dying. Duris laughed, smiling, easy, this would be so easy, too easy. _

_ Closer, closer, just a few more feet- He raised the blade over his head, concentrating on the hare that stalked in front of him, bringing rat after rat to their knees, dying in an instant. In his mind he could already see the captain's head dropping to the ground, the blood on his scimitar-_

_ Perfect. _

_ He swung downwards, the sword just a silver blur in his hands, and-_

_ Clang!_

_ Duris blinks, staring at the mouse who now stood in front of him, holding a circular shield with the letter M on it in one paw and an impressive sword which held his attention for a moment in the other, even though it wasn't really his style. _

_ "Get out of my way, _mouse_, and maybe I'll drop you off at the nearest island." Duris giggles, his eyes flicking between the mouse and Captain Rorik, who seems to be getting farther and farther away each second he wastes standing there chatting with this mouse. _

_ "Duris Swordfur," The mouse intones, and something about the way he says it sends chills down Duris' spine, "Captain Rorik never needed to die. No one needed to die. You must pay for the lives that have been lost in your quest for revenge."_

_ Captain Rorik was getting farther away each second, just a speck on the horizon now, out of reach forever. _

_ "OUT OF MY WAY!" Duris shouts, swinging the scimitar at the mouse, who parries it with the round shield grimly, not giving any ground. _

_ "All is not as it seems, Duris Swordfur. Only the hare can help you off the island. Then find the Lady of the Pink-Paw and the truth will be clear." _

_ "But, but," Duris stared helplessly in the direction that Captain Rorik had disappeared off into, sword dropping so it's tip rested on the slippery deck. The mouse started to fade, along with the battle and the ship. _

_ "All is not as it seems…"_


	5. Chapter 5

_In Satinspar's clearing…_

Duris Swordfur's life was not looking up.

Two days had passed since he'd first dreamed of the strange mouse stopping him from killing Captain Rorik back on the _Cheerful Wave Hopper_, and every night after that, or every time he closed his eyes and tried to slip off into sleep to escape from the island or that _nuisance_ of a hare, he'd dream the same dream. Duris had tried doing different things; ducking around the mouse when he appeared in front of him, trying to go around where he'd first encountered the mouse, attempting to actually fight the mouse (that hadn't gone so well), making a mad dash for Captain Rorik instead of biding his time and anticipating the sweet thrill of revenge, or throwing his sword at Captain Rorik, the way he'd accidently killed the captain the first time.

But it was all useless. Nothing the ferret did made any difference, and each time he woke up with the same words echoing in his head: '_All is not as it seems…'_.

Captain Rorik had been Duris' obsession every waking moment since the second Duris had learned that he'd killed Snow. And now he plagued even his dreams. All Duris wanted to do was kill the hare properly, once and for all, not on accident like the last time, but the mouse wouldn't let him, just kept babbling on about how 'the hare was the only way off the island, how he had to find this Pink-Paw person, about how all the killing he'd done hadn't amounted anything, hadn't gotten him anywhere, how he had to pay death of the supposedly innocent creature he'd killed.' But surely the mouse could understand revenge? Those lives he took were necessary in the revenge business, if he was to get to Captain Rorik. And the death of Captain Rorik was necessary for revenge, how else was he supposed to do it? A life for a life. There was nothing to it.

And the accursed hare on the island wasn't making matters better. Sure, she'd fed him, and he could move his arms now, enough so that he could feed himself, but he still couldn't walk, leaving him at the not so tender mercy of the hare, Satinspar. Sometimes when he wakes, she's just sitting there, staring at him, a thoughtful look in her eyes, usually idly twisting the shell necklace around her neck. Other times, she's trying to stuff breadfruit and figs down his throat or water, and when she's not doing that she's poking his feet and his legs intently, almost as if she expects a miracle to happen, like he's just going to leap up and start dancing a jig.

_She's probably eager to get rid of me, I'm eating all her food,_ Duris thinks, wincing as the shell comb pulls at his tangled fur. Yes, Satinspar even had the nerve to comb his fur.

Duris can't believe it, and as the seconds pass, his anger and impatience rises.

"Get off, get _off_!" He snaps, pushing her away, wincing as he hits his left arm on the ground. "Who do you think you _are_? My mother?" He hisses, easing his arm to the ground, glaring death at Satinspar, who doesn't appear fazed.

"If you don't take care of those snarls in your fur now, it'll be even more painful later on. Trust me; I'm doing you a favor." She smirks suddenly, an interesting expression on such a sweet face, "Honestly, Duris. You're acting like a dibbun."

"A dibbun?" Duris wrinkles his nose.

"What? What's a dibbun?" Satinspar asks, using Duris' confusion to take a step closer with the comb-

"I don't know! You just said it!" Duris tries to squirm away, knocking over his drink, a strange mixture of pureed coconut, star fruit, and banana.

"Erm, I did?" She starts absentmindedly combing the fur on the top of his head again, brushing it right into his eyes. He's desperate for this torture to end. What did he ever do! He rolls his eyes as an image of the strange mouse with the circular shield and impressive sword pops into his mind. Yes, yes, it seems as if he's been told it a thousand times. Killed a bunch of creatures for nothing, his revenge plot was stupid, Captain Rorik never needed to die, blah, blah, _blah._

Duris grits his teeth and growls under his breath. He's a feared pirate captain for crying out loud! He's not supposed to be having his fur combed by some hare! He's supposed to be scouring the seas, feeling the wind through his fur, and laughing while his crew cowers in fear. If they could see him now…

"You know what, hare, go take a look in a mirror. Then you'll see who really needs a comb. Not me. _You_. Heh, it looks like sparrows have made a nest in your fur. And you know what sparrow's nests are?" Duris pauses, but doesn't expect an answer. "They are ugly. Pretty dang _ugly_."

Duris steels himself for insults, a slap, _anything_, but nothing happens, and when he looks up, Satinspar is just standing there, not appearing to have heard him, but another deeply thoughtful look on her face.

And then she turns and simply walks off into the jungle.

For a moment, Duris isn't sure what just happened. Sure, he insulted her, but not enough to seriously make her angry. He gulps, nervous all of a sudden. He's been pretty cruel to her the last few days, insulting her left and right, being contrary out of spite and for the fun of it. What if he's finally driven her over the edge and she's left him, no food, no water, no way of moving around or fighting off any huge snake that might randomly slither into the clearing and decide it wants to have a nice, tasty ferret for lunch….

No, no. Duris tries to reassure himself. She would never do anything like that. He finally gets some peace and quiet and time for perhaps a soothing nap before she comes back with some more of that breadfruit…

Duris closes his eyes, and before he knows it, he's back on the deck of the _Cheerful Wave Hopper_ in the middle of the storm.

So much for a restful nap.

_A few hours later, in Satinspar's clearing…_

A raindrop landed on the tip of Duris' nose, waking him from a light sleep which he'd fallen into after the usual dream. He sniffled, trying to roll over, and rubbed the raindrop off before opening his eyes. Through the palm trees and other jungle foliage he could see the sky, now grey, punctuated every once and awhile by distant thunder and small flashes of lightning.

Other than that, and the waves against the shore, Duris heard nothing. His eyes narrowed. Usually the hare, _Satinspar_, he had to remind himself, was near; puttering around or fussing over him. Carefully lifting his head slightly, he glanced around the clearing. Smoke drifted from the last few embers where the fire had been, though it was mostly ash now, and a pile of food, and gourds of water, or the strange coconut, star fruit, and banana concoction lay just in Duris' reach. Satinspar's walking staff, a long and gnarly stick of wood which she'd wrapped yet _more_ strands of seashells around (she seemed to have a strange fascination with them) was missing from its usual place near the pile of palm leaves where Satinspar slept. The dark green leaves of the trees and vines surrounding the clearing yielded no clues as to where she'd gone, or why she'd left the pile of food and drinks near Duris.

"Satinspar!" Duris shouts, expecting to hear a quick answering call from the direction of the beach where she usually went, or the patter of feet coming down the carefully concealed trail that led deeper into the island.

Nothing.

"SATINSPAR!"

Still nothing. Duris gulps, fear growing. He knew it. She'd left, she'd had enough of his insults and surly silences. The food… it was enough for a few days, maybe a week if he rationed. But the water… no, not enough.

He'd be dying alone, in a clearing, on some island, no way of moving or saving himself. At least when he was on the beach dying a few days ago he'd been delirious, now he'd know what was happening every second until his last moments.

Damn that hare, and damn his idiotic pride that had driven her away.

_Four days later, in Satinspar's clearing…_

Almost out of water. He'd been rationing the food though, so he'd have made it a few more days, if only he had some water. The rain had swept away the remnants of the fire, even though he'd never had been able to move close enough to get it started. And even worse, during the nights, he'd heard some sort of huge _beast_ trampling around in the darkness. He'd even heard it _growling. _Every night it had gotten closer, and closer- and tonight it would probably venture into the clearing, and Duris had a pretty good idea what would happen then. After all, there was only so much one could stand of eating nothing but fruit everyday….

Duris spent his days drifting in and out of sleep and plotting ways to get past that accursed mouse in his dreams and to Captain Rorik, but each of his plans failed terribly. The mouse was a liar, he realized, just a mere figment of his imagination, maybe his conscience trying to tell him that he should feel _sorry_for Captain Rorik, for the other creatures he'd killed, even for Satinspar; but he brushed each of those thoughts aside with a sneer.

The only creature he felt sorry for was Snow, the only one who really was never meant to die in his opinion.

Night fell sooner than expected, and Duris sipped from the last gourd of the strange fruit drink, staring up into the tiny patch of starry sky he could see between the branches.

A few hours, or maybe seconds, or maybe an eternity went by as Duris lay there, not really thinking about anything, just staring up at the stars, wondering what's up there, wondering how many stars there are. Maybe when you die, he mused, you turn into a star. That would be nice.

But all thoughts of stars disappeared from his head as the sounds of foliage rustling, heavy footsteps, and growling sounded directly behind him.

A huge head appeared above him, blocking out the stars, and a gust of rancid breath blew back his brushed fur.

Duris closed his eyes-


	6. Chapter 6

_In Satinspar's clearing…_

The huge beast raised an equally huge paw, and Duris' eyes snapped open, staring with horrible fascination at the shadowy monster that would kill him, and, most likely, devour him. Duris could relate. After all, there was only so much a creature could stand of eating nothing but fruit day after day. He'd started pining for some sort of fish not so long ago, he'd settle for a seagull if he absolutely had to, but apparently Satinspar didn't kill. Not even fish, which Duris knew even the Redwaller's ate.

Something above him glimmered in the weak, if even existent, light. _Just the white's of its eyes,_ Duris tells himself, _not teeth, please not teeth._

Even though Duris wants to, he can't close his eyes, can't move, can't even throw one of the empty water gourds at it, in a last act of defiance against death and the whole unfairness of the situation, sort of like the way Captain Rorik pushed Duris into the path of the falling mast.

The suspense seems to be killing Duris; _just kill me already and get it over with, _he screams at the beast in his mind, terrified of what might happen if he speaks aloud.

And then-

"YAAAH!" A fierce yell cuts through the silence, and the beast's head jerks up, towards the source of the yell, coming from where the concealed path leading deeper into the forest is, the path that Satinspar took four days ago when she left without a word.

It cannot be! Is this even possible? Duris never even imagined that she would return. He swallows hard. He knows that Satinspar is no match for the terrible creature that is even at this moment preparing to eat him again. They are both doomed.

A tiny spark flares to life in the shadows, once, twice, and then Satinspar leaps forward, holding in her paws a torch which burns brightly and blinds Duris for a second or two, but also gives him a fleeting glimpse of the shadowy beast. It is a badger, with wild, crazed red eyes and matted fur. Yellowed teeth are bared and long silver claws rise in front of its face to ward off the fire light before it turns and stumbles back into the forest. Satinspar and Duris stand (or in Duris' case, _sit_), and stare at each other for a few moments as they listen to its retreat. Both are panting, and Duris waits until his heart beat has settled down before he speaks.

"What… what was that?" Duris whispers, reaching for the familiar comfort of his scimitar hilt, forgetting that he'd lost it at the battle, as Satinspar carefully starts gathering wood around the edge of the clearing to restart the fire, peering anxiously out into the shadows.

"That was Wezem," Satinspar says grimly, pausing to gently blow on the fire, "When I first got here, Wezem had already been on the island for… who knows how long. He helped me find food and stuff. But soon he started to go a bit, um, crazy. One night, he tried to kill me, to eat, I guess, but I escaped, and he apologized, later, but I knew I had to be more careful. In the day, Wezem is nice. And apologetic. But at night…" She shudders, "I've learned that he's afraid of fire, and that's about it."

Duris is angry, and terrified, and desperately trying to hide his relief that she's returned."You could have _said_ something! Left me a weapon or… or put me in a _tree_, anything! What were you thinking, or have you gone just as crazy as that badger?"

Satinspar shoots him a glare. "Well, I'm _sorry._ I thought that he was on the other island, and setting traps or who knows what to keep his… _monster_ occupied at night. The tree wouldn't have helped. I know. He would have just found some way to knock it down."

Duris flings the gourd in his paw at her, and she ducks as it lands in the fire, scattering wood and blowing sparks up. "And where were _you_ this whole time?"

She ignores him, blowing on the fire. Duris hates being ignored, it makes him feel inferior, unimportant, unwanted. Reaching around for something else to throw at the blasted hare, he only can reach a few leaves, which he tosses violently, though they never reached her.

Was that- did she just? No. She did _not_ just laugh at him. Duris is too angry for further speech or insults, and Satinspar curls up on the other side of the fire and goes to sleep, placing a gourd that Duris hadn't noticed until now right next to her, a gourd that she hadn't left the clearing with four days ago…

Too bad Duris can't reach it.

_The next day, in Satinspar's clearing…_

They still weren't on speaking terms the next morning. Duris sulked silently, ignoring every attempt Satinspar made to communicate with him, staring past her head and into the leaves overhead; and eventually, Satinspar stopped trying, and wandered around happily, sometimes stepping out of the clearing to grab some berries and leaves, and adding them to the gourd that she'd brought back with her from the forest, smelling it and stirring it, all the while humming a strange lullaby like tune that sounded somehow familiar to Duris, though he couldn't figure out why.

He is too proud to break his silence and ask her what she's mixing in the gourd or what tune she's humming, even though a part of him reminds him that his pride was the thing that made her leave the last time, almost getting him killed.

A few hours later, around noon, when the sun was highest in the sky, Satinspar finally is pleased with the strange concoction in the gourd. She moves towards Duris, slowly, knowing that he's still angry. He's dozing lightly, once again slipping into the dream with that meddling mouse- but when Satinspar rolls him over onto his stomach he wakes with a start.

"What are you doing?" He snaps, "Can't you leave me alone for once?"

She is silent, just begins spreading the strange ointment she has been making onto his back. It smells minty, and stings at first, but then becomes very cool, and Duris almost lets his guard down, though he's still worried about whatever she's doing.

"Okay… erm, this might be a bit painful, but you're going to have to stand up. Well, sort of stand up. I mean, it's not like you can stand on your own right now…"

Duris gulps. She's probably going to feed him to Wezem; just leave him on the beach, helpless, the stuff she put on his back was probably to make him taste better for the crazed badger-

"No, don't! I swear, I will…. Do anything! Just _please_!"

Satinspar shoots him strange look, sort of a cross between worry and apprehension, as she helps him sit up, and pulls him to his feet where she leans him against a tree, before placing one of his arms around her shoulders, and handing him her staff with the seashells on it to put in his other paw.

"Okay. Use that to help walk. We're just going to the beach. It's not very far."

To Duris, and to Satinspar who was holding up most of Duris' weight, the 'not very far' walk to the beach seemed to take ages; down a twisting path through the jungle, tripping over roots and sticks, and then the stumble across the burning sands of the beach towards the sparkling waters.

Duris still has no idea what is going on. He's nervous and scared, and tired, and his back _hurts_ after all that walking.

"Why are we here?" He grumbles, squinting against the bright sun.

"_You_ are going to lie here, in the nice, cool water, and maybe take a nap. _I _am going to go look for seashells." And with that, she wanders off down the beach, every once and awhile stopping to look at something on the sand or washing up to shore with the waves.

Duris realizes that she's not purposely not telling him anything… being on this island, with no one to talk to except a crazy badger, with no memories, would leave anyone with bad communication skills.

Duris tries not to drift off to sleep, not wanting to experience The Dream again, but the combination of the cool water soothing the aches in his back and the warm sun on his face causes him to fall asleep…

…_the next thing he knows, he is standing on the _Cheerful Wave Hopper _again, blinking his gray eyes against the icy wind and rain and stumbling as the ship tosses and turns, climbing wave after towering green wave. No one was at the wheel controlling the ship except a hare- only he had a small dagger in his back and was slumped over the wheel. _

_Duris turned away, spotting Captain Rorik several yards in front of him, leaping nimbly around obstacles, his rapier a silver blur around him. Duris groans. No. Not this again. _

"_What do you want from me?" He howls, throwing his scimitar on the deck, and it is quickly swept away into the sea by wave after wave splashing over onto the deck. _

"_I'm tired of your riddles mouse! I'm never getting off that island! Have you seen that hare? She doesn't have any memories, she's crazy, doesn't know anything. I'm never getting off this island!"_

_And with that he leans against the mast, and closes his eyes to the bloodshed around him. If only he'd opened his eyes, he would have seen the mouse with the round shield and the sword standing before him-_

"Duris, hey, the sun's setting, we need to get back." Satinspar gently shakes the sleeping ferret's shoulder. He looks troubled and tired, even when sleeping. Every once and awhile he twitches, muttering something Satinspar can't quite make out. She shakes him again. "Wezem's going to be back out tonight, we need to make a fire." Mention of the badger's name jolts Duris from his sleep.

"Okay, okay," Duris sighs, not as argumentive as usual. Satinspar hands him the staff and they make their way across the now cool sands of the beach and down the path through the jungle. When they get back to the clearing the sun is almost set.

"Um, how do you feel?" Satinspar asks.

"Better, actually," Duris is surprised, he would've thought that after all that walking he would've been in pain, but he actually feels better, the best he's felt since the moment he woke up on the island. Satinspar seems pleased.

"What did you… what did you do?" Duris asks, hesitantly. He almost expects her not to answer, probably still mad at him for things he said a few days earlier.

"I knew that sometimes, well, maybe your back wasn't broken. I remembered that, the day I left. Maybe it's just sort of really bruised and scraped up, and a bit swollen. I hoped that the paste I made combined with the cool water would help bring the swelling down."

So _that's_ why she left a few days earlier, to get ingredients for the weird paste. Duris winces, feeling ashamed.

"You could've told me where you were going." He finally says. Satinspar looks away.

"Erm, yeah."

The silence stretches between them, taut, just waiting to snap.

"I'm sorry. For … what I said earlier," Duris doesn't remember the last time he's said sorry to anyone, "Thanks for coming back."

Satinspar smiles, bemusedly. "What else was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave you here alone, no matter how much of a brat you were being."

Duris laughs, and once again stares up through the gap in the leaves to the stars. Maybe… maybe that mouse is right. Maybe with Satinspar's help he'll be able to get off this island. Maybe they both have a chance of getting off this island.

And maybe Satinspar hasn't lost as much memory as she claims. Duris squints across the fire at her. She's wrapping more strands of seashells, held together with some sort of vine, around her staff. He resolves to be more observant. Duris has the feeling that she's not telling him everything about how she got to this island… well, he _knows_ how she got here. The old wildcat captain aboard the _Merciless _marooned her here, but there's something _else_, and Duris can't figure out what.

He needs to find out who she _really_ is.

"Goodnight… Satinspar."


	7. Chapter 7

_**(I am so sorry for the extremely long wait for this chapter! I will try my best to get more chapters up soon and the story moving along again!)**_

_Five days later, the beach…_

"He tried to _kill_ me, what am I supposed to say?" Duris snarled, glaring at Satinspar, who seemed contentedly oblivious to his annoyance.

"Just be nice. Please. Treat him normally. And…if you say anything that makes him angry the… _monster_... might come out." That was the way Satinspar usually referred to Wezem's condition, as the monster. She skipped around the subject, preferring not to spend too much time thinking about what could have caused his other personality, and what he was like when it took over. Duris decided to change tactics. Obviously intimidating her wasn't going to work. He'd have to try whining, try to get some pity out of her.

"But _why_ do we have to go _today_? My back _hurts_, and so does my head. Can't we go some _other_ day?" Duris was good at whining, at looking pitiful and small and hurt. That was how he'd survived aboard the _Merciless _initially. If the other crew members thought you were weak and harmless, you were left alone, and nobody noticed if you were seen sneaking around the galley, trying to grab an extra helping of dinner, or maybe a bottle of grog… Duris leaned heavily on the staff Satinspar had made for him; she had even gone so far as to put seashells on it.

"No." Satinspar traced patterns with the end of her staff in the sand, quickly washed away by the waves, "You'll be fine, you can always sit in the water or something. We only had to walk down a path to get here, and Wezem had to swim all the way from the island."

Duris squinted suspiciously towards the larger island in the distance. Instead of warm, sloping beaches, all he could see of it were jagged cliffs, and thick, thorny bushes and trees on top of those. There was no place where someone could easily just walk off the beach and into the water.

"So he… jumped off the cliff?"

"No, silly! He lives in these caves that stretch all over the cliff and lead up to the surface. I've tried to get him to take me over there, or let me at least make some sort of raft so I could visit every once and awhile but he won't let me. I wonder why… I bet he's lonely over there."

Duris knew why, why there weren't any birds circling the island. They knew about the badger, that damned crazy murdering badger, and stayed far away. Duris would too, if he was a bird. Except he'd fly off the island and away from the crazy badger and irritating hare and finally have some peace. Lost in those happy thoughts of flying away from all this madness, he didn't spot the black and white striped head bobbing in the water just off shore until Satinspar pointed it out.

"Look! There he is!" She turned to Duris suddenly, making him flinch back at the fierce look in her eyes. "You_ will_ be on your best behavior today, you hear me, Duris Swordfur? Wezem is a good friend, a good badger. If you do anything to him, so help me, I'll…" She trailed off, and waded into the water to help the giant badger ashore. _That_, mused Duris, _is one bipolar hare_. But watching her, he couldn't help but feel a pang of affection. She was so energetic so full of…of… _something_. He couldn't quite place it. She was so like Snow, in so many ways it hurt to think about.

The sound of Wezem's voice across the few yards of water between them as he slowly answered Satinspar's barrage of questions was a low rumble of distant thunder that caused shivers to run up Duris' aching spine.

So this was the monster- Wezem. Wezem the nice, harmless, badger. Who happened to murder defenseless ferrets for a light appetizer. Never mind, never mind that. He had to be polite, had to put aside that horrible night and play nice if only for Satinspar's sake. If only so that mouse would stop speaking nonsense and tell him how Satinspar was supposed to get him off this island. But mostly because Satinspar wanted it.

_For her sake_? Since when had he every cared about how anyone ever felt except for himself? Snow. Not since Snow. Duris hissed, anger bubbling up in his chest suddenly. Hares. He hated hares. And with most hares came badgers.

"Duris, I'd like you to meet Wezem. Wezem, Duris." Satinspar piped, gently tugging on Wezem's massive paw and coaxing him out of the sparkling water.

Duris looked up, squinting against the dark mountain that rose up in front of him and silhouetted by the sun which wasn't quite to its highest point in the sky yet. Hazily, he noted the gleam of teeth, the rippling muscles, and paws which could without a doubt easily snap his body in two. The tension in the warm air was almost tangible as Wezem moved slowly and without the sun at his back, Duris could see more clearly the scars which covered his body. They were jagged and raised, random. Some were long, running from his shoulder down one of his legs, others were short, but just as nasty looking. Duris didn't want to think about what would have caused those.

Without the sun behind him, Wezem seemed to shrink from a murderous monster into a tired and soaked creature who only wanted to sit on the warm sands of the beach and sleep for a little while. Light hazel eyes flecked with gold swam in a sea of unknown emotion.

Why was he thinking about the sea so much lately? He had to get back to it; he was restless on dry land…. Satinspar cleared her throat, shooting Duris a meaningful glance.

"I, uh, I believe, we've, you know. Met before." At the silence that follows, Duris realizes that he's said the wrong thing. He's not supposed to talk about… that. Backing up a few feet, too afraid to look at either one of them, he hears a strange noise, almost like mix of choking and growling.

Oh. Oh no. The badger was probably going into one of his fits of rage. He'd probably kill both him and Satinspar and eat their insides. There'd be nothing left of them but a few random splotches on the ground to be washed away at the first high tide.

Satinspar snickers, noticing the look on Duris' face.

"Relax, its okay. He's just laughing, idiot."

Laughing. _Laughing!_ Why?

"Bipolar, crazy, cackling fools," He hisses under his breath through a clenched jaw, his paws digging into the shells around his staff.

"I am… pleased to meet you." The badger's voice was educated, gentle, "I regret what the Other did, was about to do, to you." He stuck out a huge paw, laced with more scars, and waited.

"You," Duris paused. Would he be considered a traitor if he took that paw? Badgers and their kind were enemies, not to be trusted. They were the only things that stood between creatures like himself, and weak woodlanders. But what _was_ Duris? The last week or so had changed him into some awkward hybrid, like a cross between and rat and a weasel, whatever that was. It wasn't right- but it was happening.

Wezem started to pull his paw back after the long silence and Duris jerked forward, grabbing the paw and losing his balance. The badger steadied him, very gentle, like a glass statue.

"I, er, you're different than I thought you would be." Duris finally managed. But the deed was done, he'd accepted that paw, and the stars only knew he'd probably have some sort of moral hell to pay later if he got off this island.

"Good. Great. Excellent! I can already tell you two are going to be great friends! I figured we could have sort of a party down here on the beach, sort of like a feast at… at…" She frowned, her memory failing her, but then shrugged and started off on a spiel about something or another.

Duris reclaimed his paw from Wezem's massive one and worked up the courage to meet his eyes. They stared steadily back at him, into Duris' eyes which he was sure showed his fear, of Wezem and this new unspoken boundary he just crossed.

"So."

"So."

"How did you get on the island?" Duris asked, for lack of better conversation topics. It wasn't like any of them had anything else to talk about except the island. Wezem's expressions darkened and he looked out across the water.

"I came here by myself, by choice, on a boat that I stole from Salamandastron. Not as exciting as you'd hoped, I'm sure." He smiled, and Duris gulped. It may be daylight on a sunny beach, but those teeth were the same nightmarish yellow ones from that night days ago.

"By… _choice_?" Duris scoffed, he couldn't help it, "Were you drunk?!" An indecorous snicker slipped out of his mouth.

"How dare you! You were probably dead drunk the night your own _crew_ threw you overboard! Trust me; I can sniff your type out from leagues away. Captains like you are no better than the scum on the bottom of their boats." Wezem shoved him backwards into the damp sand where the waves reach the shore.

"I'll have you know, you deranged flea ridden carcass, that it was is in a battle." He rubbed his back, "And I was winning!" An afterthought.

Satinspar had wandered into the water a ways off from them and could still hear their shouting. It was best to let them get it all out of their systems now, she mused as she lazily kicked at some brightly colored fish. She'd known some beasts like them before, somewhere. Always so violent, so competitive. It was no use trying to intervene in arguments while they were still getting to know each other.

It was strange. Satinspar had been on the island for many seasons, it seemed, but only now, with Duris around was some of it starting to come back to her. Just snatches, really, and nothing she could put together to make sense of. She remembered red stone and safety with them. Peace, too. There were lots of faces in her memories that she knew were important but couldn't put names to- especially a hare, always making jokes, in most of her memories. And then there were the ships. Two of them.

In fact, one of them looked exactly like the ship that was slowly coming towards the island. She turned away. How odd.

Wait.

Her ears flicked suddenly straight up in the air as she whirled back towards the sea, blinking furiously. It was still there. She knew its name, somewhere, deep inside of her- the Happy… the Joyful… the Cheerful-

"HEY!" She screamed, starting to jump in the water, dropping her staff and running back to the shore. "We're here! Heeeeeeeeelllllloooooo!" Shadowy figures appeared on the deck, running back and forth, pointing. A rowboat was lowered into the water, a small group of the crew climbing into it.

And on the island, fear was felt for three very different reasons. One was scared but excited at the same time, knowing that so many memories, both good and bad were bound to appear soon. One was scared because he didn't want to hurt anyone, but knew that it was inevitable that no matter how much he protested he'd be forced onto that ship, and people would get hurt when the Other appeared.

And Duris? All he knew was that those weren't rats aboard that boat, not by a long shot. And every single one of those long eared menaces would recognize his sorry hide in an instant. Satinspar would finally know who he really was and what he had done, which right now was the real tragedy.


	8. Chapter 8

_The beach…_

Wezem waded out to meet the boat and drag the crew to the shore at Satinspar's urging. There were two hares aboard and one scrappy looking squirrel. One of the hares and the squirrel were rowing while the other stood at the helm of the rowboat. A bandage was wrapped around his head where a long ear should have been, and a dented rapier was stuck though the belt of a blood-stained apron.

"Me name's Malby, acting cap'n (an' cook!) of the _Cheerful Wave Hopper. _At yer service, me good sir badger, wot!" He completed a lopsided bow towards Wezem and hopped off the boat. Wezem blinked a few times, recovering from his surprise.

"Wezem. Pleased to meet you, I'm sure." He patted the hare briefly on the back. All the while, Duris stood hidden behind Wezem's bulk, leaning heavily on his staff, with his face turned towards the ground. It was best to delay this as long as possible.

"This is Narfi, me first mate," Malby gestured graciously at the other hare, who waved her paw in greeting, "An' Gust, our Quartermaster." The squirrel leaned over, suspiciously trying to see Duris behind Wezem. He seemed relaxed, bored even, to the casual observer.

"Who is…"

"…that?!" Malby finished Gust's sentence, staring at Satinspar. "You're supposed tah be dead! A ghost- a spirit!" A superstitious sea farer through and through, Malby staggered backwards. Satinspar smiled, confused.

"I'm not really sure, um, what do you mean? I'm alive, er…"

"But I… I saw you thrown overboard, wi' me own eyes! Narfi, you too! And Gust!"

"Aye, Malby. Tis' true," Narfi confirmed solemnly while Gust merely nodded, eyes narrowing at Duris. Satinspar began to inch away from them, suddenly afraid; memories rushing back to her-

_Water, cold, choking, tumbling- everywhere- freedom was so close, how could they- a tortured scream cutting over the sound of the waves, in such a _familiar _voice: but then the silent weight of the water pressed around her and-_

"You're Satinspar! Cap'n Rorik's lil' sister! We tried to get you back from that wildcat, we did-, but,"

"Stop. You're scaring her." Wezem growled, his shoulders hunched as he took a protective step towards Satinspar, who stared at Malby, Narfi, and Gust as if _she_ was the one seeing ghosts, and not them. Duris wasn't fast enough to move with Wezem, and stood stupidly in the open for a fateful moment, easy prey for Gust's hawk-like gaze.

"HA! YOU!" Gust leapt from the boat, all semblance of bored laziness lost, and pushed Duris to the ground. The breath was knocked from Duris in a short gasp as a sharp spike of pain ran down his back. The squirrel sat on his chest, a dagger pressed against his throat.

"What are you doing? Let him go!" Satinspar began to move forward, but was stopped when Wezem held her back, "You… you have to help him!" She cast a pleading look a Wezem, but he would have none of it. His dark eyes were focused on Duris'.

Malby and Narfi moved forward, both looking down at Duris in shock. Recognition dawned in their eyes and Narfi snarled, her paws balling into fists.

"There's someone at Hellgates waiting for you, ferret." Gust pressed the dagger closer to his throat.

"What is going on? You just… you just met him!" Satinspar shrugged away from Wezem, marching up to Malby. "You can't just come barging onto _my_ island and attack a defenseless, _injured_ creature!"

"All due respect ma'am, that's no ordinary defenseless creature." Narfi nudged Duris with a hesitant foot.

"How do you know him?" Wezem asked calmly, taking everything in stride. Gust was the first to answer.

"Killed our Captain in cold blood, that's how I know him."

Malby started to bawl, breaking the uneasy silence after Gust's words. "I'm sooo sorry- Satinspar! About your brother, I promised you I'd take care of him!" He hiccupped, wiping his tears on his apron.

"I have… a brother?"

"She's lost her memory, idjits!" Duris snapped suddenly, still wary of the knife at his throat, "And before you say anything- it has nothin' to do with me!"

"Shuddup, scum! If I want your opinion I'll get it from you!" Gust gave a very un-squirrel like growl.

"Captain Malby," Wezem began,

"Just Malby, if ya please," The despondent hare sniffed,

"_Malby_, I don't doubt that Duris has done some terrible things. I know a pirate when I see one, but I swear to you that he has harmed no one on this island and what he says is true. Satinspar has no memory of life before these shores. Whatever you decide to do with him, with _us_, please make the right decision."

"The right decision!" Malby muttered, "All this captain's business is too much. How am I supposed to know what to do? Why in the world did Rorik leave me in charge?!"

"I say we kill 'im. Right here. Right now." Gust bared his teeth at Duris in a horrifying parody of a smile and Duris shuddered. There was something _not quite right_ about this squirrel. He wondered why Rorik had even let him onto his ship in the first place. Those damn hares. Always trying to be noble. Trying to make the _right_ choice. He almost wished they really would kill him.

"You can't think straight because your ear's still not healed! It was chopped off, for goodness sakes! I said you shoulda stayed on the ship!" Narfi tugged on Malby's arm gently, "Let's all go back to the ship, have some dinner. We can take _him_ with us and make a decision tomorrow when we're in open water again, yeah?"

Open water? Open water!? Duris had been obsessing over escaping the island, but not with a ship full of hares! He opened his mouth to protest- but if they left him here, on his own, because he knew Satinspar and Wezem would both leave, there was no way a healing cripple could survive on his own for very long. Duris snapped his mouth closed, glaring at the squirrel above him.

Malby rubbed the bandage around his head. "I… suppose. Back to the ship! Nice an' quick like, if ya please!"

Gust gripped Duris' arm, hauling him roughly to his feet. "I'm sure all your friends in the hold will be overjoyed to see you," He hissed.

"Duris, wait!" Satinspar stopped Gust from depositing him into him boat, "Is it true? About, their captain, my, um, brother? Did you really…"

Duris couldn't bear to look her in the eye.

"If you'd known the things your _Captain Rorik_," He spat the name, "Was capable of, you'd be just as glad he's dead as I am."

"Into the boat, sea bilge!" Someone else ordered, shoving hard. Duris tripped on the edge of the boat, tumbling with flailing limbs until his head connected to one of the benches with a crack, and all his guilt dissipated in darkness.

_Back to the dream, to his ship rolling on the towering storm tossed waves. The fighting clanged round him, screams and taunts and the dull sound of metal on flesh. Damn it. Not again. The dreams had been getting less frequent, not appearing the instant his eyes closed in a drowse anymore. _

_ But where was Rorik, and that meddling mouse? Duris gripped his phantom sword tight in both paws, ready for any new trick or trap that might be sprung on him-_

_ "Is it true? About my brother?" _

_ The voice drifted close to his ear, eerily familiar and out of place. Duris whipped around, bringing the tip of his sword down so he didn't frighten her more than she already was, momentarily forgetting it was all a dream. _

_ "Satinspar! What are you doing here?" _

_ Satinspar walked past him, slowly, her eyes focused in the distance dreamily. Battling creatures unconsciously parted for her, shifting away from each other so a narrow pathway was cleared. Once she past, the fighting continued. And all the while, she repeated-_

_ "Is it true? About my brother? Is it true? About my brother?" The chant went on and on, and no matter how far away Satinspar got from Duris he could still hear her voice like she was standing right beside him. _

_ "I had to do it! He murdered my sister! Please come back!" But no matter how many hares and his own crew he cut down in order to get to her, she only got farther away, the same as it had been when he dreamed of Rorik. _

_ Duris pushed on for what seemed like hours through the battle, until she was just a faint speck off on the horizon of the never ending ship. He stood looking after her, and then turned around, bumping right into- a rat. He recognized the worn out armor, the lithe, shifting body; but its face was not a rat's face. _

_ "You!" Duris gasped, stumbling backwards and away from the mouse. He didn't have his shield or his sword, but it was still unmistakably him. _

_ "Your time is not yet upon you. Turn right to choose a path of venomous winter. Turn left to choose redemption from bleeding snow." _

_ "What? No! No more riddles! Satinspar and her mad hares are taking me off the island! What more could you want from me?"_

_ The mouse reached a shaking paw towards him-_

_ "Heh. Heh. Hey, what's that?" The mouse's voice turned whiney, sneaky-_

_ "Stay away, stay away…" Duris choked, struggling to breathe, "Get away from me!" And with a violent jab-_

He threw a dark figure off of him and away from the necklace around his neck. For a moment Duris could only lie there, on the hard damp floor, and hold Snow's quartz necklace. He'd almost lost it. Some petty thief had almost stolen it from him, his last memento of his sister. When he finally pulled himself together, he felt a gentle rocking, and heard the comforting creaks that meant he was back on a ship, on the high seas, free once again-

Or not. He suddenly remembered the hares, and sat up with a start.

"Hey, lads. Look who's decided to join us. Our _dear_ old Captain Duris." Shining eyes opened from all corners of the dark room, and Duris' eyes slowly adjusted to the light from a single candle. He was surrounded by some of his old crew. They looked beat up, a lot worse for wear, but still angry. Incredibly, unbelievably angry. Duris didn't think he'd ever had this much angry attention directed at him his entire life.

"Did you miss us? Heard you been vacationing on a beautiful island with some hare as your servant. Should've invited yer old crew mates along. You wanna know what those bloody hares did to me?!" And on and on. The voices bombarded him from every angle.

Right out of the frying pan and into the fire indeed.


End file.
